The Necromancer's Apprentice
by JasmineofAgrabah
Summary: A young girl is found unconscious among the dunes of the Land of the Black Sand. Eilonwy, Princess of Llyr has the potential to be a powerful sorceress, Mozenrath see's this as an opportunity to train her and one day use her as a tool against his enemies


The undead guards happened upon a young girl who had fallen from exhaustion upon the dunes of black sand. They carried the young girl's body back to the citadel and presented her to their master.

Coming to she began shivering and was obviously disoriented. She asked where she was and could not recall how she had gotten there.

He sensed the energy she possessed, there was no threat detected. Unfastening his cape he handed it to her to keep warm. "I am Mozenrath, Lord of the Black Sand, the most feared sorcerer in the Seven Deserts."

Her interest was sparked when she heard him tell her that he was a sorcerer, "Is that a fact as well?" she asked, pulling his cape tight around her shoulders. "I am…", she forgot who she was, grabbing the chain at her neck the crescent charm flooded her memories back. "I am Eilonwy, daughter of Angharad, daughter of Regat, daughter of – oh, it's such a bother going through all that. My ancestors are the Sea People. I am of the blood of Llyr Half-Speech, the Sea King."

He nodded slowly. For one so young she was awfully confident, he did not recall being such when he was her age but then again he was his master's slave. "What are your interests young princess?"

"Magic, for one. I also like to explore." she told the man, she fiddled with her crescent moon necklace under the cape, "And yourself?"

"We seem to have much in common." With only knowing the little she's told him he finds her quite fascinating and impressive. "I am a collector of magic, as I've said before a sorcerer practicing in the art of necromancy. It is my passion and my love." He took a seat in an elegant chair at the large marble table. He motioned for her to sit as well. As she hugged his cape tighter to keep herself warm he offered her a cup of hot tea.

"I come from a line of powerful enchantresses," she told him. "I've been training for several years." she sitting in an equally as lovely chair across from him. She couldn't see many similarities between them. She pulled the cape tighter around her as a nervous shiver went down her spine. He must have though she was cold as he passed her a cup of warm tea, "Thank you." she nodded, sipping the sweet tea.

"Enchantresses are indeed powerful, are you a keeper of your city?" He was curious as to what type of magic she possessed. He snapped his fingers and the fire in the hall lite. "Surely princess, you mustn't suffer so. Use your powers for a more modest change of clothing." He sipped the wine that had been in his hand. Perhaps to such a young girl he was intimidating. Maybe he should open up to her.

"I am in training, therefore not yet able to take care of it alone," she told him. She watched, not completely impressed with his fire trick, since she used the same thing, "I'm not suffering she assured, mumbling a spell then snapping her fingers as well. Suddenly she was dressed in a long, dark red dress (nicer than normal, but she felt she needed to be impressive), her hair fell out of its brain into soft curls that tumbled to her waist, a black head band rested on the crown of her head. As a final touch, she had the man's cape neatly folded in front of him, then took another sip of tea. "Wonderful tea, Sir."

Finally, she had stopped being so stubborn and practiced basic magic. He was not out to impress but wanted to make the young girl feel more comfortable. He left his cape where it lay. "I am most intrigued by your background. I guess I should tell you about myself princess." Maybe that would open her up. "That is, if you wish to know?" He gestured, one hand out to give her the option.

She shifted in her seat, "I would love to hear about you." she answered.

She looked like a porcelain doll. Beautiful and fragile yet possessing the potential to become very powerful and possibly deadly. He shifted in the chair, took another sip of wine, cleared his throat and began. "I don't recall my parents. I was told I was purchased from a slave trader but I do not believe it true. My memories of my childhood began at five where I commenced my training as a sorcerer's apprentice. My predecessor's name was Destane…", the name left an acidic taste in his mouth even years later. He could go on and on but she was too young to know the gruesome details of his insubordinate beatings. "To put it lightly, I learned valuable lessons coupled with swift thrashings daily." He stopped and glanced down at her from across the table to see if he should continue.

She quietly sat there, patiently listening to his story.

He continued, "Once I turned 16 my mentor realized I had the potential of over powering him by way of physically and magical strength. He tried to limit my studies in necromancy and sent me parading around his territory like a century. There wasn't much to defend, he was supposedly a feared man throughout many countries. A year later I came across this…," he held up his gloved hand. "It was significant progress beyond what I could obtain through my studies. While it was a great sacrifice this was the only thing that had given me enough power to defeat him. I have further built up my undead army, developed useful technologies and a reputation to go along with it all." He smiled confidently at the mention of his accomplishments. "So you see young princess, I too have a great interest in power and defending that which I rule over. Perhaps we could learn from each other…an alliance between our kingdoms?"

She waited until he had finished talking, then set her cup back on the table, "If you don't mind my saying," she started, "It sounds as if you dabble in dark magic." she said seriously. She didn't like the thought of a man with an undead army as an ally, not that she trusted him enough yet to even consider that. She hadn't even been home to her own kingdom in so long, not since before Mona. But she calmly rested a hand in her lap, the other fiddling with her necklace. She found it surprising that such a powerful man had started as nothing more than a slave. Through his years he must have grown very intelligent, he must know much information that she might need to expand her own skills. As handsome and charming as he was, something about him was throwing her off. Some of her friend didn't seem as content around him, and she wondered if she should be as comfortable as she was becoming.

He examined her actions. She was an old soul in new body. The way she handled herself for such a youth was impressive, at her age he and Xerxes were pulling pranks on each other around the citadel and being severely reprimanded for it. It took both boys a long time to learn their lesson. _Was her childhood taken away from her as well? _He thought to himself while pondering the best response to her answer. He wanted this girl and her abilities on his side. "Dark magic is what I was trained in from my youth. Surely, you cannot judge a tiger by its stripes?" He placed an elbow on the table before him and rested his chin between his thumb and index finger.

She raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what sort of game he was playing, but she kept going with it, "I suppose not. However, the way I have been trained in the past has been quite the opposite of yours as we can see." she said, thinking she could tell what he might have been prying at. She wondered how much of her own past would be safe to talk about. As much as she could tell at this point, their upbringing was not too different from each other. She whisked a stray hear out of her eyes, "I was brought up much differently, though, I promise you, it was not your conventional royal upbringing."

"I would be much obliged to hear of it…" His eyes gazed upon her small face.

She crossed her legs and smoothed her dress before speaking, "My parents died when I was young, and so I was sent to my Aunt. She raised me and taught me much of what I know. However it was in the dungeons I was raised and often whipped." she started, "I escaped with my friends whom I met in the dungeons. Together we had quite a few interesting adventures, but I won't go into that right now. Eventually, the time came that we had to go our own ways, I was then sent to Mona to be trained into a proper lady." she said, keeping it simple, "It's not much, but it what I have." she tossed a bothersome lock of hair behind her shoulder and waited for the man's response.

He sat back perplexed. He felt her pain but did not see it in her eyes. She, like him was not weak and did not show outward emotion. Through it all what a proper young lady she was. "What form of magic was it that you were trained in?" He was now the curious one.

She felt somewhat pleased with herself as she watched him sit back, a surprised look on his face. She assumed that he had expected less of her, something that she wasn't fond of people doing. But she decided not to commit on it. "Several." she responded simply, "Excluding dark magic, of course." She was not one to talk often about her past or her parents, but she felt she had to seeing how he had as well.

His philosophical side was presenting itself. "A well rounded man…person must be trained in ALL traditional subjects, whether they take a liking to them or not. Even a poet must be well versed in mathematics to form the rhyme scheme of a sonnet or haiku. To weaken your enemy you must first be able to understand them." The one thing he could thank Destane for were the studies afforded to him as a servant but he was more thankful for his own interest in higher education. "If you are interested, princess I welcome the opportunity to mentor you in an art form which you are unfamiliar with. You may someday find an advantage in possessing such knowledge." He pushed the tips of his fingers together forming a triangle, lowered his head and placed his fingers upon his lips while he stared at her expressionless. It was her go, he awaited a response.

"Well worded, Sir." she complimented, "And I could not agree more. But even you must be aware of the dangers of having such knowledge such as that of the dark arts of magic. That sort of power has the ability to force even the strongest man to go mad." she said. The conversation was beginning to turn a more serious bend. She felt almost challenged by his offer. Dark magic was both powerful and at times addicting. For her to agree would be a huge choice in wither or not she keep control of both herself and her magic alike. But he was right. If she were to one day come across an enemy that possessed knowledge and power such as him, she might never stand a chance. Just by comparing the two of them together, it would be obvious who the strongest was -age not mattering in this case. This could be an offer worth taking.

He was not one to turn down a compliment; he knew the topics of sanity and power very well. Destane had not learned to control either, where the old man lacked he excelled. Normally his patience would've worn with such bickering between himself and a child, or anyone of less intelligence but he was intrigued by this girl, so wise beyond her years. He felt a connection, not that of a lover but of a protector and tutor. He sat up straight and motioned gently with his ungloved hand. "My lady, to quote an Indian scholar, 'To a worldly man, a God-intoxicated person will appear mad and will be laughed at, but to the God-intoxicated man, the worldly appear insane, foolish, misled, blind.' So you see, madness is in the eye of the beholder. If you are well rounded you will not have such inner quarrels." He stood and bowed before the princess. "I must bid you adieu before the day is done. I see you need some time to consider my offer therefore take two days' time, if not sooner. Good day your highness."

She slightly tilted her head to one side and gave a small, curious smile as he quoted. He was intelligent in his words, barely needing to skip a beat before answering her. She could tell he would be an excellent teacher if she came upon any other. She wondered what the price would be if she accepted. Instead of asking she simply stood after him and curtsied, deeply nodding her head to show her respect for him, "I shall have an answer for you by that time, good Sir. I thank you for your time. Goodbye." she said, watching as he left the room. She believed she knew her answer already, but was unsure. It could be a once in a life time offer, challenging her and taking her farther in her training then she had hoped to go. But on the other hand, there was the question of wither or not she could handle it. She had much thinking to do before she could answer.


End file.
